As a print system, a so-called in-house print system is known. For example, this in-house print system receives a creation request of printed matters (manuals, reports for customers, etc.) ordered from a client as a given department of A-company, and creates and delivers desired printed matters to the client. As such print system which simply prints a file received from a customer, printing using a so-called hot folder function is executed. For example, print setting information is designated using the hot folder function, and a finishing device included in a known image forming apparatus which forms the print system executes bookbinding processing (staple, punch pressing, saddle stitching, case binding, etc.) of output document sheets.
An example of print job processing in a conventional POD (Print On Demand) system using a hot folder (to be also abbreviated as an HF hereinafter) will be described below (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-11576).
FIGS. 29A and 29B show examples in which files are printed in the order of entries into an HF. FIG. 30 shows an example from when a file is entered into an HF client application (to be referred to as an HF client appli. hereinafter) until that file is transmitted as a print job from an HF server application (to be referred to as an HF server appli. hereinafter).
FIG. 29A is a view showing the order of entries of files into an HF using a diagram for explaining the overall arrangement of a conventional POD system.
HF client PCs of this related art include HF client PCs 22, 23, and 40. Reference numerals 46 to 48 denote HF client applis. which run on the HF client PCs 22, 23, and 40. The HF clients 22, 23, and 40 may be configured on a single PC. Reference numerals 41 to 43 denote content data files to be printed, which are sent from a plurality of operators. In this related art, each content data file is a PDF file, and the file 41 is entered into the HF client appli. 46 first. The file 42 is then entered into the HF client appli. 46 second, and the file 43 is entered into the HF client appli. 47 last.
Reference numeral 4a denotes an HF server appli. which runs on an HF server PC 20, and includes a transmission queue 44 used to transfer print data to a print device such as a color MFP 37. Files set in the transmission queue 44 undergo transmission processing to a color MFP 36 and the color MFP 37 in the order they were set. Reference numeral 49 denotes a job management application (to be referred to as a job management appli. hereinafter) which runs on the HF server PC 20, and is used to monitor a print job transmitted from the HF server appli. 4a, and to monitor statuses of print jobs in the color MFP 37.
Reference numeral 4b denotes a job controller which is installed in the color MFP 37, and includes a print queue 45. Jobs set in the print queue 45 undergo print processing of the color MFP 37 in the order they were set. A print job which has undergone RIP processing is set in the print queue 45, and is subject to various restrictions of the color MFP 37. Reference numeral 4c denotes a job processor which is installed in the color MFP 37, and executes print processing of jobs recorded in the print queue 45. A job controller 4d and job processor 4e in the color MFP 36 are the same as the job controller 4b and job processor 4c. Note that in this related art, a print job that has undergone the RIP processing is set in the print queue. In embodiments to be described later, a print job before the RIP processing may be set.
FIG. 29B shows processing as the sequel of FIG. 29A. FIG. 29B is a view for explaining processing until files are printed after the files are entered into the HF. Note that the same reference numerals in FIG. 29B denote the same elements as in FIG. 29A.
After the operations in FIG. 29A, a PDF file-1 and PDF file-2 are copied onto the HF appli. 46. Also, a PDF file-3 is copied onto the HF appli. 47. The HF client applis. 46 and 47 sequentially transfer the copied PDF file-1, PDF file-2, and PDF file-3 to the HF server appli. 4a. On the HF server appli. 4a, a JDF (Job Definition Format) file as a print setting information file is appended to each of these PDF files to convert them into print jobs 50 to 52, which are then set on the transmission queue 44. The print job 50 corresponds to the PDF file-1, the print job 51 corresponds to the PDF file-2, and the print job 52 corresponds to the PDF file-3. The print jobs 50 to 52 are transmitted to devices (color MFPs 36 and 37) described in their JDF files in the order these jobs were set in the transmission queue 44.
In this related art, as shown in FIG. 29B, the print jobs 50 and 51 are transmitted to the color MFP 37, and the print job 50 is set on the print queue 45 and its printing is in progress as a print job 53. Also, as shown in FIG. 29B, the print job 51 is transmitted to the MFP 37 after the print job 50, and is waiting for printing on the print queue 45 as a print job 54. A print instruction of the print job 52 using the color MFP 37 is issued, but the print job 52 is waiting for transfer until the print job 53 is completed due to the restrictions of the color MFP 37. The restrictions of a device (color MFP 36 or 37) include a DISK capacity, a number of exception settings used to make different settings for respective pages, a number of insertion settings used to instruct insertion of sheets, and the like. Details of such restrictions will be described later in the description of the embodiments.
FIG. 30 explains in detail processing of the HF server appli. 4a until transmission from the transmission queue 44 shown in FIGS. 29A and 29B.
Reference numerals P150 to P155 denote processing contents (processes), which are processed in this order of numbers. In P150, the user drags & drops the PDF file-1 41 onto the HF client appli. 46. In this related art, the HF client appli. 46 records a setting that executes saddle stitching using A3 paper sheets. Upon detection of an entry of the PDF file-1 41, the HF client appli. 46 notifies the HF server appli. 4a of a data processing request in P151. The HF server appli. 4a creates a JDF job creation thread 1 158 for data processing. Then, the PDF file-1 41 is transferred from the HF client appli. 46 to the HF server appli. 4a. In P152, the HF server appli. 4a checks if the PDF file-1 41 has a file type that can be processed by the HF server appli. 4a and the color MFP. In P153, the HF server appli. 4a creates a JDF file 150 as a print instruction that records print setting information set in the HF client appli. 46. In P154, the HF server appli. 4a MIME-encodes the PDF file-1 41 and JDF file 150 to create the print job 50. In P155, the HF server appli. 4a transfers the print job 50 created in P155 to the transmission queue 44 on a transmission thread 159 which controls transmission. The print job 50 which is waiting for transfer at that time is illustrated as a job 1 53. Note that reference numerals 156 and 157 denote job creation threads 2 and 3, which are different from the JDF job creation thread 1 158, and correspond to, for example, the PDF file-2 42 and PDF file-3 43.
A technique that allows changing such print attributes set at the time of HF creation upon execution of printing via the HF is also known. For example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-11576, since the user is allowed to designate whether or not respective items of print attributes set at the time of HF creation are permitted to be changed at the time of execution of printing, a dialog which inquires the user about necessity/unnecessity of changes is presented to the user at the drop timing of a file onto the HF.
However, the aforementioned print technique using the HF suffers the following problems.
FIG. 31 shows an example in which print jobs are set in the print queue 45 of the color MFP 37 in an order different from their order of entries. Note that the same reference numerals in FIG. 31 denote the same elements as in FIGS. 29A and 29B.
The PDF file-1 41, PDF file-2 42, and PDF file-3 43 are entered into the HF client appli. 46 or 47 in the order named as in the example of FIGS. 29A and 29B. However, in FIG. 31, the print jobs 50, 52, and 51 are set in the transmission queue 44 in the order named unlike in the example of FIG. 29B. Since the order set in the transmission queue 44 is different, the order of print jobs set in the print queue 45 of the color MFP 37 is different from the order of entries of the PDF files. That is, a print job 55 corresponding to the PDF file-3 43 is set in the print queue 45 first, and is printed.
Such reversal of the orders occurs for the following reason. For example, as has been described above using FIG. 30, many processes are required from the entries of the PDF files into the HF client applis. 46 and 47 until the corresponding print jobs are set in the transmission queue 44. Therefore, processing times required until the corresponding print jobs are set in the transmission queue 44 have differences depending on the sizes of the entered PDF files, the complexities and sizes of JDF files to be created, and an environment on the HF server PC 20. As a result, the order of print jobs set in the transmission queue 44 and print queue 45 is reversed from the order of entries of the PDF files.
FIG. 32 shows an example in which the print job 52 cannot be transferred due to restrictions of the color MFP 37, and a print waiting job cannot be created in the print queue 45 of the color MFP 37 in this related art. Note that the same reference numerals in FIG. 32 denote the same elements as in FIGS. 29A and 29B.
This related art shows an example in which the next print job 52 cannot be transmitted before completion of the print job 54 whose printing is in progress, and print waiting occurs in the color MFP 37 after completion of the print job 54, resulting in a performance drop.
Furthermore, at the time of simultaneous processing from the plurality of HF client applis., since jobs from different client applis. are mixed, printed matters are required to be sorted for respective client applis. after completion of printing. That is, when print operator A (who has charge of an X company) and print operator B (who has charge of a Y company) simultaneously execute print processing from the two HF client applis., jobs of different customers (print settings) are output together. For this reason, the printed matters are required to be sorted for respective client applis., resulting in a performance drop. Especially, when output printed matters undergo bookbinding processing (staple, punch pressing, saddle stitching, case binding, etc.) using a finishing device, a performance drop is considerable.
As described above, the related art suffers the following problems. Files are often printed not in the order of entries to the HF client applis. Continuous entries of print jobs from another HF client appli. to an identical client appli. and print processing of the print jobs are often disabled due to the restrictions of a print device. Furthermore, at the time of simultaneous processing from a plurality of HF client applis., print jobs of different customers (print settings) are mixed, and printed matters are required to be sorted.